Misconceptions About the Physics of the QCD Trace Anomaly from Renormalization in a Reducible Basis

Chen Yang

Misconceptions About the Physics of the QCD Trace Anomaly from Renormalization in a Reducible Basis

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology 2026-08-02 v1 High Energy Physics - Lattice Nuclear Theory

Authors: Chen Yang

Abstract

The QCD trace anomaly is a well-established textbook result in quantum field theory with several prominent features: (1) it arises from the quantum breaking of scale symmetry at ultraviolet (UV) scales, yet is independent of the particular UV regulator used, whether lattice or dimensional regularization; (2) although it is nominally proportional to ( ${\cal O}(\alpha_s)$ ), it is free of renormalization-scheme ambiguity; and (3) it is free of UV divergences and is therefore scale independent. Unfortunately, these important features have been undermined in the recently introduced reducible-basis renormalization, leading to misunderstandings of anomaly-related nucleon physics, including the origins of nucleon mass and internal forces.

Keywords

QCD trace anomaly renormalization reducible basis scale symmetry nucleon mass

Cite

@article{arxiv.2608.01002,
  title  = {Misconceptions About the Physics of the QCD Trace Anomaly from Renormalization in a Reducible Basis},
  author = {Chen Yang},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2608.01002},
  year   = {2026}
}

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5 pages